Data archiving is the process of identifying and moving inactive data out of current production storage systems and into long-term archival storage systems. Moving inactive data out of production storage systems optimizes the performance of resources needed there while archival systems store information more cost-effectively and provide for retrieval when needed.
Networked distributed storage systems (NDSS) are data storage systems that can be used for data archiving as well as various other storage functions. NDSS are designed as a cluster of multiple interconnected storage nodes that are pooled together, and where more such nodes can be added as and when the demand for storage resources grows. The nodes are often constructed from commodity hardware. They provide typical storage access to client applications via any one or more of block, file or object access protocols. Internally, data is divided into multiple chunks that are dispersed throughout the cluster. As compared to traditional storage architectures, NDSS constructed from commodity hardware offer reliable storage at lower cost.